Russ Rides Bike

2011 MTB Racing at Lambert Park

2011-05-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

My MTB Racing season began last Saturday in Alpine with the Utah State Championship Series (long name, cool series). This race was so fun. Perfect temperatures and trail conditions. Big climb right off the bat and then it was fun flowing single track with a few small double track climbs in between. The new race series looks like it is going to be a good one. Reasonable entry fees and organized well. I stole a few pics from the promoters of some other racers to show you how fun this course was. I think it is going to be another good year in the saddle racing bikes in Utah. Shoot, I may even venture outta state for one this year.

Running not Riding

2010-07-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

This year has been a little bit low key. Maybe its the natural up and down cycle of a cyclist, but after a full race schedule last year, this year I can't seem to carry the same motivation levels. I could use a number of excuses that seem to justify the lack of determination, but I think it boils down to fact that this is my off year. After a off year I will be hungry for more racing and more disciplined training programs and so on.

That doesn't mean I have been completely idle this year, just scaled back a bit. I have been racing in the bi-weekly mt ogden race series, which has been a real fun change up. ~50 mins of tight, technical, rough, keep you on you toes, singletrack. I also did something I have not done in a real long time. Ran a race. The Wasatch Back is a relay race from Logan to Park City. Good time and good company. It made running bearable. Still a few races in the works for this year, stay tuned...

Sundancin

2010-05-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Rather than assuming the survival mode position like the last time I strapped on the racing plate, this years Sundance Spin was both competitive and fun. I actually battled a few racers for position and put in a few attacks. The legs were much more responsive and the course seemed to play into some of my strengths. This race reminded me why I race bikes. I don't think there is any other sport that one feels so many different emotions in such a short period of time. Pain, suffering, joy, fear, excitement, thrill, discouragement all in two hours. Super fun sections of trail on this course, there were times when I felt the bike and I where one.

Now I need to find some time to train...and train... and train...

First Race = Reality Check

2010-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin. There are always numerous things I can take away from a bad race, the question is do I dwell on the bad or focus on the good. Wait, was there anything good? I did finish, and the thought of quitting did cross my mind a few times. It was a great workout. I got some good "on the trial" mechanical experience. I handled the weather really well and I descended fairly well. But, all I can think about today was all the things that went to sh*t about 20 minutes after the start.

I think about 16 of us lined up yesterday to race our mt. bikes. 14 finished, and I know at least 2 dnf. Maybe it was the big greasy burger the night before or the fact that I literally ran from the port-a-potty to the start line with seconds to spare or it was the first race of the year and I haven't exactly been killing it on the training scene, but, I still thought I was going to get a decent result.

From the back row I slipped passed a few riders and fell into 5th place as the trial narrowed into singletrack. I was pinned but feeling good as we slowly went up and down the course, then about 20 min in I shifted to my low gear as a short steep climb approached, nothing, chain drops and I jump off and run. I loosed a few places. Next hill same thing, few more places. So I stop and make a quick derailer adjustment and I am back on, but the next two and half laps are uneventful, except for the fact that I slowly got slower. I had nothing. I would stand to attack and then promptly sit back down and look at my non-responsive legs with big puppy dog eyes and say "pretty please". It didn't work.

I was battling to hold Grizzly Adams wheel on the last lap but felt like I could stay close to him and hopefully battle him for the 9th place finish. Then my rear tire went flat on a steep rocky gully. I had to walk to a few hundred feet to find a place out of the way to change to tire. I am so slow at changing a tube. I lost three spots and finished 10 min later then 9th place. 13th out of 14 finishers. Nice ehh.

Now the big questions. Commitment and Pain. This sport takes time and commitment to be successful, with work, family, house, other commitments takes time away from mtb racing. My left knee has been slowly degrading from about the middle of last year. I injured this knee snowboarding about 8 years ago and had orthoscopic surgery about 6 years ago. It has been pretty good until about the middle of last year. After about an hour of pedaling at race pace it becomes agonizing. I am planning on changing a few positions and look into some non-surgical solutions in the next few months and hopefully the future is bright.

So, this all becomes fuel for my fire. I will set it a blaze next race and fight even harder than ever. Oh, and I will have fun doing it. right?

So was looking through the pics from this weeks world cup and got a kick out our nation champs and there perfect posture on the bike. keep that back straight.

MTB2010

2010-04-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Took a good 2 hour ride today with Jeffery. It was so nice. All trail conditions from mud to dry loose gravel where ridden. Two weeks until 5 mile, all I need is some new rubber and a few more good training rides. I hope it is a good year. Between work, family, home, and other things its get hard to give the MTB the attention it deserves. Just got back from New Orleans for work. Sea Level is cool.

Drawing Lines

2010-02-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

Looking down on the creeping haze of death. NO!

Looking up the ridge to Saddle Rock before the sun sets

Russ rides snowboard

The next day it snowed 6 inched at my house. Because of the orientation and wind patterns this ridge line received about 18" of fresh snow. If you follow this ridge line down you get about 1000 ft of vertical. It's a great little adventure, 40 minutes up 2 minutes down. A perfectly executed powder turn on a snowboard with fresh snow is hard to beat. Real hard to beat. It all has to come together though. Almost forgot, I saw 4 bald eagles, about 25 deer, and one little cottontail rabbit in the last few days up there.

Bitchin Camaro

2010-01-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

This car is the answer to all of life's questions. right? The dice hanging from the rear view mirror is a nice touch.

55

2010-01-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

55 degrees has never felt so good. After what seemed to be centuries of cold, inverted and toxic weather in the cache valley, I tasted warmth. Utah's Dixie that is... and I was whistling it loud and proud for the first cycling miles of 2010. Saturday I busted out the mountain bike and went over to do some recon on the Desert Rampage Race Course. I quickly became lost but was not worried because little sections of single track was to be found all over. I ran into Chris Holley and a bunch of Mad Dawg / Gary Fisher crew and they were kind enough to show me some new trails. After nearly 4 hours of hell yeahs, i was getting burnt, so when I flatted and the spare tube was not holding air I knew it was time to call it. I don't know if it is the rush of the trail and all the obstacles coming at you or it is the first time on the bike outside in awhile, but that first ride of the year feeling is priceless. Rode some bike paths and took a hike with Paige and Zoey on Sunday. Pretty impressed with the bike paths down there. Could not resist this photo opp. up snow canyon. Red rock and blue sky make a nice combo.

Starting to get excited to race this year. Now I need to get excited to lose some weight.

Regaining Balance

2009-11-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

upper ford, alpine dry creek trail oct 2009

It’s now been about two months since my last cycling race and I have been trying to find different activities to keep me engaged. Different activities mainly being playing with the kids and wife, while the days get shorter and temps get colder. I will admit it has been nice to take a break from the bikes; too much of one thing gets to be hard to balance. Its tough when you have so many time consuming elements to your life. When I crashed and tweaked my knee on a just for fun MTB ride I knew it was time to hang it up and recharge the batteries.

Starting to get excited for next year, I want to do a lot of the intermountain cup again, but would really like to do some other stuff too. After I think I canyons not sure if my knee will let me do something really long, but want to do some endurance events. So the plan is to just maintain until Dec, 21 (winter solstice) then really try and drop some more lbs for 2010. first race will be in march unless I do the frozen hog in feb. In the mean time what should I ride next year? 26 hardtail, 29 hardtail, 26 dually???

pictures

2009-09-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out to get my pics off my phone. Bluetooth file exchange. Not a lot of riding right now.

Mt. Timp. Me and Paige are going to try and hike this on Oct. 10

Gavin is having fun, even though he may not look like it.
Old race photo. Deer Valley 2008
Porcupine Dam. Good swimming hole.

I think I CANyons

2009-09-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday morning I joined approximately 50 other road cyclist on a ride to benefit homelessness in Salt Lake City. I was told about the ride from a co-worker and met up with her husband and rode the first half of the race with him. The ride was as follows; start at Barbacoa on Wasatch Blvd. ride up Little Cottonwood, up Big Cottonwood, up Millcreek, up Emigration and back to Barbacoa. 110 miles and 12000 vert. pretty big ride. So Logan flatted half way up Big and feeling the effects of a cold pulled out after two canyons. I put on the iPod and cranked up Slayer and I decided to Time Trial Millcreek, I have ridden this canyon quite a bid but never timed myself. I started at the fee station and it took me 52 min to the very top. Felt so good picking riders off. Passed about ten riders then I flatted halfway (stopped the clock and fixed my tyre) got passed by about ten riders. poop. Jumped back on and passed then all back. Killer. Felt real good. wouldn't last, I paid for the effort in Emigration canyon. I completed the ride and it was very gratifying. All in all it was 8 hrs in the saddle. Have not rode since. caught a cold and have had the not so fresh feeling lately. Good news though, met up with Jeffery Heal today, local Cache Valley MTBer. He is fast and has only raced one year. I might try and get some Cache Valley team together to better represent the Valley at ICUPS. talked with Mark at Wimmers and he is stoked. May look into Logan Race Club too. We shall see. More to follow. As soon as i figure out hw to download pics off my phone i will load some images onto the bloggy. Peace out.

one x nine

2009-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do the I think I CANyons ride/race whatever it is. The USU MTB Race sounded pretty iffy, the orginizer is going out of town etc... plus I think I CANyons benefits homelessness and I think it is more of an accomplishment. 110 miles 12000 vertical. I do agree with my last post's commenter, road racers are, well, somethings wrong with them because they don't race MTB right? MTB racers are a lot more fun. Case in point. On one of the TNR group rides, (local group road rides) we got to the top of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. At the top there is a drinking fountain where we stop to fill up bottles and turn around. I dropped my bike and filled em up, turn around and there is this guy (it was a nice bike) asking someone to hold his bike while he filled up. What, come one, you can set down your bike (even if it is gentle). Bikes are made to be hammered, crashed, ridden hard and set down gently.
Last week I purchased the MRP one ring kit. First, I was bummed because my 44T ring would not fit. uh. So I am using my 32T, need to purchase a 38 or something to make it just right. Jury still out on this one, not sure if I am in love with it. I did drop some weight and the Scale is rocking the scales at 23 lbs.

Training rides are officially over. Riding for the rest of the year is just for fun.

Back in the saddle for a final push

2009-09-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

Took the family to Disneyland last week... good times... nice break from the bike. Got back on yesterday and took a nice long ride. It was rough, I am sore, felt like I haven't been on the bike for months. Trying to figure out how to wrap up the season. Sept 19. there is a local MTB race or a road race in SLC going up and down four canyons. What to do??? Will probably to one or two cyclecross races and put a wrap on the season.
The only two wheels i rode last week. Scooters are pretty fun.

A few nevers at the Mt Ogden 50k and proud dad moments

2009-08-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today was the Mt Ogden 50k Mountain Bike race. It had been three weeks since I lined up to race the Mountain Bike. After about a one hour drive to Snowbasin resort I arrived one prior to race start. Got registered and ready and lined up. The pro's went first and then the relay teams (bad call) then all the rest of us. After 300 yds we hit all the slow relay folks then it turns to bumby singletrack and it is a cluster. after about 2 miles of cluster passing it spreads out and I am ready for a drink, reach down and nothing, Poop! lost my bottle, I have seen alot of bottles on courses but this is the first time I have ever lost a bottle. where am I going to get hydrated? Luckly there was a bunch of water stations, istop and ask if they have bottles of something I can take with me, they look around then one pulls out a case of Powerade (race sponser) its wrapped in plastic and he can't rip it and pull a bottle, I was like "are you kidding me" 4-5 people ride by and he finally gets it out and throws it to me, I put in my jersey pocket and ride on. (I was glad to have it, but it had a screw on lid so I had limited areas where I could open it and drink without crashing). I caught all the people that passed me and pass a few more I was starting to feel really good, then I start hearing a rattling noise and my rear derailer is not shifting right, Crap again, I stop and find out my rear cassette is loose (what the heck, I have never had that happen either) I tighten it with my fingers then pull out my mini tool and crank it with the flat screw driver. Jump back on the trail after 4-5 people pass me again. I finish my first lap passing 4-5 people back but I am worried about my cassette so I pull of at the start area where a guy is sitting will all these tools, he quickly grabs a cassette tool and I tighten proper (thanks dude) Jump back on, only 2-3 pass me this time, This guy in the autoliv who re-passed for the (4th) time, no joke was propably thinking what the hell is this guy doing. I am ready to kick some but on this last lap. I was so suprised I rode the entire first 2/3 rds all by myself. It is weird when no one is around, racing for that long, anyways I finally start catching peeps passed two before the final pavement climb, then passed KC Holley and Bob S on the final climb (I was stoked on that because I think they started 2 min before me and they are both fast). I think I was 4th in the NonPro and not sure about age group, Sweet compliment by Chris Holley (Super Fast, won the race today) he said I was starting to get fast. The kids wanted to go to the pool, so I left after I finished.

Now the proud father post. Gavin has been getting so good on his bike the last few weeks. He could not even bike around the block (we have some hills here) but now he stands up and hammers down and can go around the block three or four times in a row. He is going to do the Haloween cyclecross race and he is starting to train. He said to me on this ride around the block the other night "hey dad you want to see me attack this hill" as he stands up on the peddles. :) So, last night he want to build a jump, so I help him build a sweet jump. He jumps on his bike and jumps it first thing.